A green dot in the blue of Bay of Bengal, the southern-most island of Bangladesh, is now under threat as wood cutters are felling hundreds of trees on regular basis. According to sources, in collaboration with a section of dishonest officers and caretakers of the forest, many unscrupulous people of Bandar Tila, Char Osman, Char Awoeladi, Char Alim, Mahir Char and Char Isamati have been cutting down trees with a view to constructing homes. As a result, the forest has been losing its capacity to provide a dwelling of deer, and protect the land from river erosion.
Once, there were a lot of trees and plants, flora and fauna in the deep forest of the island.
Some officials of the forest department gave away some areas of the forest land to people in exchange for four to five thousand taka per acre, it is alleged.
Sources said that once there was a total of 4,170 acres of forest land at Nijum Dwip. But at present the area of the forest has shrunk to 1,350 acres only.
But, divisional Forest Officer of Noakhali, Md Sha-e-Alam, denied the allegations and said that stern action would be taken if such allegation is found to be true.
Though the Forest Department created a beautiful mangrove forest in the north of the island, in 1974 it took an aforestation programme.
Covering an area of nine thousand acres it has developed into a deep forest with a variety of plant species. Among the trees Keora is much seen. Besides this Gewa, Kankra, Bain, Babul, Karamja, Pashur and many other species are seen.
-With The Independent input
